Wolf Moon
by Ashynarr
Summary: For the past few months, Alfred has been disappearing on seemingly random nights, only to return the following day. One night, Matthew decides to follow him, and discovers a world he never knew existed... Human AU, Were!Alfred & Francis, Vamp!Ivan & Arthur, Oneshot, past FrUK [Final Version]


Wolf Moon (Hetalia)

Author: Ashynarr

Summary: For the past few months, Alfred has been disappearing on seemingly random nights, only to return the following day. One night, Matthew decides to follow him, and discovers a world he never knew existed...

Disclaimer: Hetalia's not mine.

Warning: Supernatural, Oneshot, implied past FrUK, Human AU

((Since I'm submitting this for my short story for creative writing in, like, a week, I'm asking now for you guys, when you review, to point out _**anything**_ that could improve this so I can impress the class.))

Version 2.0 ((Four reviews; twelve rereads to catch everything they mentioned. Thanks 43RedRoses, Skadiyoko, Darkfire Kitten and Mina888 for the help! This should be the final, revised version of the story. Ulgh I'm not a fan of human AU – I'll just stick to canon okay thanks.))

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The numbers on the clock on the bedside table glowed 10:23 in the darkness as the bedroom window slowly slid open. Matthew paused for a few seconds when he heard noise elsewhere in the house, but a moment's wait proved it wasn't his parents coming to check in on him. He finished sliding the window open before climbing out onto the terrace, and from there down into the backyard.

He shivered in his jacket, the cool night air easily penetrating the thin cloth protection. For a brief moment Matthew considered climbing back up and grabbing a heavier jacket, but shook it off, figuring that once he was moving he would warm up. He set out, only a vague idea of where to go based on the direction he'd seen his twin Alfred go earlier that day.

_'At least the moon's full so I can see where I'm going'_, he thought to himself, deep blue eyes briefly taking in the bright object in the sky, glad for at least one small convenience.

For the past couple of months, Matthew's younger twin brother Alfred had been going over to a 'friend's place' on seemingly random days. He always left before dark and didn't return until the following morning, either showing up at school or at home depending on the day he went out. It left the older twin feeling... off. And more than a bit nervous.

It was just a fact of life at this point that Matthew would always know all of Alfred's friends and vice-verse, even in high school. Partially it was because of their similar looks - they'd been mistaken for each other more than once with their matching blond hair and blue eyes - but mostly it was because of how close the two were. Part of the way anyone made friends with one of them was to get along with the other twin.

So why was his brother keeping secrets from him? Was this the beginning of them drifting apart? He knew that they were expected to live their own lives apart from each other, but losing Alfred – it was unthinkable. It was always them, always Alfred and Matthew or Matthew and Alfred. He could not imagine a life without his twin in it.

A breeze picked up. Matthew shivered a bit, pulling further into his jacket, wishing he had just gone back and grabbed a thicker one. But it was too late – he was already more than ten minutes from the house... and hopelessly lost, to boot. He glanced around, not recognizing the area. He'd never had reason to come this way before, considering school and all his friends were in the other direction.

The town they lived in wasn't particularly huge, but since all the public buildings were in the same area, it just happened that people didn't go this way unless they lived there... which Matthew and his family, of course, didn't. On top of that he'd never really been one of the kids who liked exploring the area just to see what there was to see, which he was now regretting. Surely one of them would know where they were and be able to get back home without trouble.

The houses slowly grew more spaced out, a few looking abandoned even. He'd had no idea this was the run-down part of town – that only added more questions as to why his brother would be out here... if he hadn't gone in another direction entirely, thus making this entire venture a waste of time.

This was a bad idea. Why had he let his nerves get the better of him? Alfred hadn't been hurt or injured in any way, and his personality hadn't changed dramatically, so there was no reason for him to be out here-

He felt a cool hand on his shoulder. Matthew tensed up, his mind screaming at him to run, but his body would not cooperate. The person tilted down, whispering into his ear. "Children should not be out so late... you never know what kind of monsters lurk about..."

"Monsters?" Matthew choked out, trying to force himself to move. All he got for his efforts was the occasional twitch of his fingers.

The man chuckled. "Da... ghosts, werewolves... _vampires_..." The emphasis on the last one set off all the warning bells in Matthew's head that hadn't already been screaming at him to get away.

"Well, I was just on my way home, so I should probably get going-"

"But we just met! And it would be rude of me to let a child wander unescorted in such a dangerous place..."

_'The only dangerous thing around here is _you, _you creep'_, Matthew thought frantically, adrenaline starting to course through his veins as panic truly set in. Thoughts of finding his brother were long out of his mind, the only thing important at the moment being his escape from whoever this freak was. A hand twitched, slowly curling into a fist – his body was slowly starting to respond to his mind again.

"Come, I will take you back to your house so you will be safe." The man started nudging the boy along, Matthew stumbling as he regained use of his legs, even if they still weren't cooperating with him yet.

"...This is the wrong way..." Matthew told him, arms slowly tensing as he got ready to break for it. At this rate it would only be another minute or two – the question was, did he have that time?

"It is shortcut. We will be there very soon." The hand on his back gave him another light push, and Matthew stumbled forward, trying to regain his feet -

The second his legs moved under his command, Matthew ran. He didn't care where he ran, so long as he lost the guy who was more than likely to murder him now that he'd escaped. He heard an annoyed shout behind him before heavy footsteps started pounding after him. This fueled his fear, and his pace picked up, the street a blur as he tried not to look behind him at his pursuer.

He blindly turned into an alley to shake the man off, only to nearly run into a tall stack of crates. They were stacked so that it was impossible to clamber up them, and there was nowhere else to hide in the dead-end. Matthew turned around, only to gape as furious, glowing violet eyes glared into his own. He was frozen in place again, and this time he knew he was done for.

The giant of a man stepped forward. "You have been very uncooperative, child. And here I was to be nice to you before I ate, but I guess I will skip the pleasantries tonight. A shame – food always tastes better when it is not afraid."

Matthew could feel his heart hammering in his throat as he finally noticed the cat-slit pupils and elongated fangs. '_Oh crap,'_ raced through his mind as realization set in. '_He's a vampire – an honest to god vampire – and I'm his meal.'_

His life flashed across his eyes as the vampire approached, pale hair bright in the moonlight. His friends would never know what happened to him, only that he disappeared one night and never returned. His parents would be devastated when his body was brought in. Alfred -

Oh god, Alfred. The entire reason Matthew had left the safety of his bed in the first place. His brother would never forgive himself, taking the blame for something that was entirely Matthew's fault.

His eyes slid shut.

_'I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't mean for this to happen... _

_'Alfred... wherever you are, don't blame yourself, please...'_

"I'm sorry..."

Suddenly an angry snarl sounded, and Matthew's eyes snapped open just in time to see a large mass of fur and fury barrel into the vampire like a freight train. The two rolled around on the ground for a bit before the vampire threw his attacker off, revealing it to be a large, odd-looking wolf. The wolf snarled again as it positioned itself between Matthew and the vampire, thick dark fur standing on end as it stared the man down.

"So it seems you have a protector after all..." the man noted, sounding more annoyed than ever. "And a mongrel at that. It seems I will have to find someone else tonight... a shame. But don't think I will forget this... your pet won't always be there to protect you..." With that parting statement he vanished into the night, and Matthew collapsed to the ground, finally free of whatever was holding him in place.

The wolf, meanwhile, had turned around and was now approaching the helpless boy. Seeing how it had attacked the man left Matthew paranoid – was he going to be attacked by the beast next? Had it only attacked the vampire because he was a bigger target? He backed up until he hit the crates, eyes shut tight against the inevitable attack.

But none came. Instead, he felt the wolf butt its head against him, making inquisitive whining noises. Matthew slowly cracked one eye open, then the other as he saw the wolf was just watching him, no hostility apparent in its stance or its bright gold eyes. When it saw him watching it, its mouth fell open in the wolf equivalent of a grin, emitting a pleased bark before butting its head against him again.

Matthew chuckled, the noise slightly hysterical. He started carefully scratching the wolf behind its ears, grinning when its tail starting wagging rapidly. Its fur felt surprisingly coarse under his fingers, and slightly slick with either water or oil. "You're a friendly fellow, aren't you?" he muttered, starting to calm down now that it was obvious he wasn't in danger anymore. "What're you doing out here?"

The wolf licked his face, earning a startled burst of laughter from the boy. "Down boy, down." He told the wolf (dog? Maybe it was just a breed he didn't recognize, maybe even a mutt – that would make more sense), not even trying to shove it off when it settled down beside him, resting its large head on his lap. "Where's your owner? You don't smell nearly bad enough to be a stray..."

It gave him an annoyed huff but didn't move, still enjoying the scratching it was getting from Matthew. After a moment its ears perked up, and its head lifted to face the entrance of the alley where someone else was now standing. Matthew tensed at first, thinking the vampire had come back. However, this man was much shorter, had bright green eyes instead of sharp violet ones, and dark blonde hair instead of near-silver. Not to mention rather thick eyebrows.

"Alfred?" The man asked, concerned. "What are you doing out here? And get away from him before someone gets hurt."

"I'm not Alfred," Matthew told the newcomer, confused. Why did this stranger know his brother? "I'm his brother, Matthew. How do you know him?"

The man blinked, surprised. "Wait, you're..." He gave the boy a long look, comprehension dawning in his eyes. "Ah- he's... an acquaintance. My apologies for the mix-up, Matthew." He gave the dog a look when it huffed again, but continued. "I think it would be best if we returned to my house before any other unwelcome faces appear tonight."

Matthew was reluctant to go with someone he'd just met, but he seemed to know Alfred. Besides, the dog had already gotten up and was waiting for him to follow. He carefully got to his feet and started following the stranger, the dog padding beside him. Was the dog this man's pet? It still didn't explain why it had attacked the vampire... did dogs normally do that, or was this one trained to?

Alfred was the fan in the family of anything supernatural or extraterrestrial, even though he was terrified of ghosts. Matthew himself had never really looked into the paranormal before, having found little interest in it – after all, they weren't real (or so he had believed), so there was no point in getting absorbed in it. Maybe it was about time he did...

The three of them continued on in silence, heading further away from the populated part of town. They arrived at an average-looking house after a few minutes, the man holding the door open for the two of them before closing it behind him. "Would you like something to eat or drink?" He asked, taking off his coat and hanging it on the coat rack as he walked into another room. The dog hesitated at the entryway, giving Matthew a glance before following.

"All right..." The boy responded, joining them in the living room. The dog was curled up on a rug near the fireplace on the other side of the room, still on alert if he was reading its body language right. The man was nowhere to be seen, and Matthew reluctantly sat down in one of the three chairs near the small coffee table in the center, ready to run if he needed to. While waiting, he took the chance to inspect the room he was in now.

The walls were a light beige with a dark green floral pattern running all along it. In the firelight he could make out several bookshelves scattered around the room, some filled with books, other with various trinkets and pictures. One in particular caught his eye, and he got up and went over, picking it up to see it better in the limited light.

There were two people in the picture, one of which was the man who owned this house. The other was a rather handsome-looking man with shoulder-length dirty blond hair, bright blue eyes, and some light stubble on his chin. Matthew wondered who this other man was, and what relation he had to the man who owned the dog that had saved him. They were both smiling cheerfully, so perhaps they were friends? He heard some noise from the next room over, and quickly put the picture back, sitting back down in the dark green chair.

The stranger walked in a few moments later, carrying a tray with some tea and... something that was probably supposed to be teacakes but didn't look or smell quite right. He set the tray down on the table before seating himself across from Matthew. "My apologies... I rarely have guests over, so I haven't actually cooked for anyone in a while..."

Matthew nodded, accepting the cup of tea as it was handed to him. He waited for the other to drink first before sipping at his own, surprised that it was actually rather good. He took one of the treats, biting into it before spitting it out almost instantly. While the tea was good, the cakes were beyond nasty and were probably undercooked along with having all the wrong proportions of ingredients.

The man winced at the reaction, an apologetic look on his face. "I knew I messed up again... I do apologize for that."

Matthew smiled weakly. "It's alright..." he told the other, casually tossing the remaining cake back onto the tray. "You never told me your name or how you know Alfred." It was rather important to know, considering that if this were Alfred's mysterious friend, it would explain why they hadn't met before now.

The man sipped at his drink again before answering. "My name is Arthur Kirkland, and as for how I know Alfred... well, it's a long story that begins well before I came to America..." Arthur glanced at Matthew again. "You were attacked earlier by a rather tall man, correct? Violet eyes, pale hair, faint Russian accent?"

Matthew nodded. "He was a..."

"A vampire, yes. I unfortunately know him quite well. Ivan has always preferred his... _prey_..." His face scrunched in displeasure at the word. "...young and unaware. It varies from vampire to vampire, so you don't have to worry about all of them going after you. Although it was rather foolish of you to be wandering about this late by yourself."

Matthew flushed lightly, staring into his cup. "I was looking for Alfred... he always keep disappearing, and he won't tell me why..."

Arthur tilted his head, eyes betraying nothing. "Perhaps he has good reason to. I would think you'd have more trust in your brother than that, Matthew."

Matthew didn't respond for a while, guilt clawing at his insides. Did he really trust his brother so little that the first time Alfred actively started keeping something from him he couldn't handle it? The comment from before started nudging at his mind, and he grew wary. "Wait, how do you know the v- Ivan?" He asked, looking back at man.

Arthur sighed. "I met him a while back, when he was passing through England on his way to the New World. Oh, when was that, the late sixteen hundreds? Somewhere around then. He wasn't any more pleasant back then than he is now."

Matthew jaw dropped. "Wait, then you-"

"I am a vampire as well." The man showed his fangs to prove his point; Matthew flinched back before he could think. The vampire looked unsurprised at the reaction. "Matthew, if I were going to attack you, I would have by now. I prefer those I take blood from to have some years on them first." He smiled lightly. "Besides, I doubt your brother would appreciate me doing anything of the sort to you. Rest assured you're safe in my home."

Matthew gulped, still nervous. "How did Alfred even meet you? He always freaks out when it comes to supernatural stuff..."

Arthur was silent for a long time, and Matthew worried he had offended the man. Finally the vampire spoke. "Before I tell you, I should explain a bit about myself. I was born around the turn of the fifteenth century to a large family in a village in England. I had several older brothers who enjoyed nothing more than scaring me and picking on me all the time. One day, they scared me enough that I fled to the forest that our parents had told us to never wander into alone. Of course, I got lost, and was found by who I thought at the time was a kindly stranger."

Arthur poured himself another cup of tea, Matthew remaining silent as he wondered what this had to do with his brother.

"As it turned out, he was a vampire, and an old one. He was looking for someone young to turn so his line would continue, and I fit the bill. He kept me trapped in his mansion for years, training me in everything I needed to know, before he was offed by one of his enemies. I tried to return to my family, only to find my brothers weary with age and already granted grandchildren and great grandchildren.

"I left my home, wandering the countryside and trying to keep my head down. I was nearly caught several times by various groups, human and otherwise, who would rather see me dead." He paused for a moment, before continuing. "Eventually, I was forced to retreat to the mainland, and I set myself up in a nice remote location in France. I thought that would be the end of the matter, and that I was assured of my privacy at last. I was wrong on both accounts.

"Fifty years after I moved in, a young man by the name of Francis came by. He was young, cocky, and had just been chased out of the nearby village after being accused of sleeping with the daughters of several important people. He asked me to lend him a bed, which I only granted because it would be rude to turn him away that late at night.

"He didn't leave the following morning, or on any of the following days, despite my requests otherwise. He told me that obviously I needed the company or else I would whither away into an unattractive bitter old man with no redeeming traits." Arthur smiled fondly. "I hated him with a passion. So naturally we became best friends. He never commented on how I never went out into the sun or that he never saw me eat anything; instead he commented on my horrendous eyebrows and lack of fashionable clothing while cooking food with what he brought back from town. I ate all of his meals and complained about them all, even though I couldn't taste any of it, because he always looked so pleased when I did.

"One night, however, I went searching for him when he hadn't returned by nightfall as was his habit. I found him half-dead and bitten by something, and brought him back to heal. When he recovered unnaturally quickly, I knew my fears were confirmed – he'd been turned into a werewolf. The next month was hell on me, because I had to decide whether to kill him or be killed, because werewolves and vampires were and are, _unfortunately_, instinctive and long-standing enemies.

"The full moon arrived. I watched silently as he underwent the painful transformation, silver dagger in hand. The wolf turned to me, and I expected him to attack." Another pause as Arthur finished off another cup. "He didn't. He walked up to me, inspected me for a moment, and simply sat at my feet, watching me. I was at a loss – this wasn't supposed to happen, it was all wrong. The rest of the night was a blur of confused thoughts for me, and didn't stop even when the sun rose and he returned to normal.

"Francis was stubborn. He refused to believe I was a vampire, and once I proved it he refused to leave, stating that without him I would be found out in days." He chuckled. "That might be about when I fell for the idiot. He stayed by my side for the next two hundred years, through thick and thin. Neither of us cared that our kinds were mortal enemies; we were happy together, and that was all that mattered."

Arthur went silent, while Matthew took in everything he'd been told. Was that who the other man in the picture had been? After a long moment, he asked "What happened?"

Arthur stared into his cup. "Hunters found us. They had us trapped, and I thought we would die together. But he took the killing blow meant for me, and with his dying breath told me to run." He chuckled bitterly. "And like a coward, I did. But not before killing all of them in a blind rage. It was too late for Francis, but at least I could avenge him.

"Afterwords I came here, trying to cover my trail again and start over. Imagine my surprise when, a few months after I arrive, I see a young boy getting attacked by a werewolf not two blocks from my house."

Matthew's eyes widened. "Alfred was-"

Arthur nodded. "Luckily it wasn't too bad, and he was still conscious when I brought him back to my house. While I cleaned and bandaged the wounds I explained what had happened to him. Alfred refused to believe me at first, but I told him to come back the next full moon to prove my point. He did, and he changed. To be honest, I'm surprised he didn't attack me... but he certainly didn't trust me, either.

"As of right now, he's willing to stay in the same room as me... that is, when he isn't running off unexpectedly." He sent a glare at the dog, who gave him a look before returning to its rest.

It was about this moment that the pieces started to fall into place for Matthew. "Wait, then Alfred is..." He sent a significant glance to the dog, who lifted its- his head at the attention.

"The one who saved your life back there, although right now he isn't quite your brother. It's interesting, really – you were well out of range of any of his senses, and yet the instant you were in trouble he was off, tracking you down without hesitation. Plus how he's acted around you since then..." His brows furrowed in thought. "I have to wonder whether it has something to do with the fact that you two are twins."

Matthew just gave a small shrug, trying to take everything in. Arthur glanced at the clock, eyes widening at the time. "I didn't realize how late it was. I'll lend you the guest room tonight, and you and your brother can go home tomorrow." Matthew nodded again, too tired to protest.

He fell into the offered bed without even bothering to take his clothes off. Thankfully the linens were clean and dust-free, so he was free to relax into the comfortable red fabric. However, they didn't ease the thoughts swirling around his head, all demanding his attention at once.

To be honest, the whole thing sounded like some bad movie. Vampires? Werewolves? Twin bonds? Well, the last had at least some evidence to back it from what he had picked up over the years. But everything else... he still wasn't sure he could believe it. There had to be some other reason Arthur – if that was his name – knew Alfred.

The dog – Alfred? - crawled into bed beside him, curling up close and reminding Matthew how cold it was. Carefully he wrapped his arms around the warm furry body, finding a strange, familiar comfort to it... before he knew it, he had dozed off, exhaustion catching up to him. He only woke up when the furry form in his arms started squirming and whining a lot.

Matthew, now wide awake, watched as the dog twisted and changed until finally his brother lay there beside him, panting through what was obviously lingering pain. Their eyes met, deep blue meeting slightly lighter ones, the latter of which widened in shock. The only reason the older twin wasn't as surprised was because of his exhaustion plus the story still in front of his mind.

"Matt, what are you-" Alfred stopped mid-question as held his head, eyes closed and face scrunched up in concentration. "Something wrong... running... enemy, attack... guard, protect..." His eyes opened again, staring straight at his twin with worry. "I didn't hurt you, did I? I can't remember much... just feelings and stuff."

Matthew shook his head. "No, you saved me, actually. There was this vampire, Ivan, and he had me cornered... then you jumped out of nowhere and made him run off."

Alfred smiled lightly. "I did, huh?" He gave a weak laugh. "Now I kinda wish I remembered it... I didn't do anything too embarrassing, right?"

"Nothing much, other than acting like a big friendly mutt. Weird-looking, too." He teased his brother, who pouted in response. The two were slowly relaxing from their initial nervousness at the familiar banter.

"I do not! ...do I?" Alfred asked, worried.

Matthew laughed, now relaxed again. "Not really." The question that had been bugging him for a while now finally came forward. "Why didn't you tell me about all this?"

His twin flinched, eyes lowering. "I... Arthur said that there was a very good chance I would attack anyone who got too close while I was like that. I – I didn't want to hurt you."

Matthew frowned thoughtfully, sitting back on the bed. "Well, you didn't. That... that's the important thing. And I don't think you will."

"But what if I do? I can't make you go through this with me!"

The older twin whacked his brother on the head. "I doubt it. You had enough control before, why wouldn't you in the future?"

Alfred rubbed the injured spot, still frowning slightly. "Geeze, sorry for worrying..."

Sighing, Matthew pulled the other boy into a hug. "I know you're worried, but... I want to help, okay? I hate knowing all this and not being able to do anything..."

The younger brother grabbed his twin's hand, smiling. "Just knowing you don't hate me for this is enough." The smile shifted into a grin. "But if I do need help – and that's a big if – I know I can count on you, alright?"

"Fine, I'll hold you to that, Al." The older brother replied, softly squeezing the other boy's hand.

When they got home later, their parents would of course be frantic, demanding to know why Matthew had disappeared in the middle of the night. And maybe in the future they would have trouble, supernatural or otherwise. But for now, they had each other.

And that was enough.

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AN: So, yeah. This is my short story submission for Creative writing, hence why I had to use descriptors and such instead of just leaving as 'you know what they look like already'. I wonder if anyone can guess who I used for the nameless characters? They being the old vampire and the hunters.

I have a couple different idea of how this could go in the future – one, something could force Matt to become a werewolf as well. Two, something could force him to become a vampire. Or three, he remains human, and dies of old age while his brother is still young. To point out, the last I imagine being a USUK ending – heck, any of them could easily become USUK/UKUS. I'm just that generous a writer.

I will gladly leave this open for people to write offshoots for (not that anyone will). Drabbles, stories, prequels, whatever.


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